Slave
by LsShinigamiRose
Summary: Someone tried to break into the Phantomhive mansion and it's someone from Ciel's past. Who is she and why is she so interested in Ciel and Sebastian's bond?  Sebastian/OC
1. Chapter 1

"This is the great Phatomhive household?" A questioning eye peered up at the mansion before it. It certainly was a beautifully extravagant mansion befitting the Phantomhive reputation. But something seemed off about it, like there was another presence that didn't necessarily belong there, but at the same time it seemed to belong. It was not of this world….

No matter. The curiosity still remained. It was time to enter the mansion, not through the front door of course. That would be too easy. It would take the fun out of everything. Still, perhaps with the otherworldly presence within the house, the front door might be the safest route. But how to explain this curiosity?

No, sneaking in would be the best option. Let's just not get caught, hm?

Walking towards the mansion, keeping watch of the windows and doors, it was an adrenaline rush before even getting to the mansion. Now the mansion was only two stories and if need be, jumping out of the window should only result in moderate pains, not anything crippling that would prevent escape if we rolled as soon as we hit the ground.

A pause. Memories. A rumor that Ciel had disappeared worried many. I'd often wondered if he would come back. A while later, another rumor spread. He had returned with a peculiar butler. But during the time he was gone, I'd thought him dead. I shook my head, getting back to business. I had to know. I had to set the records straight.

Thankfully, I had been an active little girl. My acrobatic skills were fairly unmatched, at least in London. I grabbed onto the top of the window ledge and hoisted myself onto it. Bending my knees, I propelled myself upwards to reach the ledge of the second story window. My hand slipped for a moment, but with an air of determination, I grabbed on again. I found the window open, much to my surprise. I looked inside to see if someone was in the room, but I saw no one. I hoisted myself inside and kept the window open behind me. I stood and peered around the room. As I thought, this was a bedroom. It seemed to be the master bedroom, it was beautiful. I moved around the room to look through the wardrobe and found child's clothes. They looked just about Ciel's size too.

"Snooping around a noble's home is very unbecoming, especially for a lady." I dropped the clothes I was holding and pulled out my sword, spinning around to point it in the direction of the voice. There before me was a butler and it seemed the source of the otherworldly feeling. It radiated off of him, surrounded him even. It was like his aura and my curiosity increased. I hadn't even heard him come in! And how did he notice that I was a woman through my disguise? I walked through the streets of London and was able to successfully flirt with the women I passed because I looked exactly like a gentleman.

"My curiosity overtook me. Tell me butler, this is the Phantomhive household correct?" I kept a close watch on the butler as he started to walk towards me. I moved around to keep the same distance away from him. He moved to the wardrobe I had been previously searching through and started to fix the clothes that I had messed up and set them to the side. I assumed that they would need to be cleaned now.

"Yes, this is the residence of Lord Phantomhive."

"Who is Lord Phantomhive now? I'd heard that the previous Lord Phantomhive perished in the fire that once consumed this mansion." The butler turned to look at me and it was then I noticed his eyes were red. That was not normal for a human. He peered at me with those eyes and I had to make an effort not to stare into them. They were hypnotizing; to the point where I knew another look would mean my end.

"Sebastian! What is taking you so long?" I heard a voice I recognized and my sword hand faltered slightly. I saw the butler move towards me and before I knew it, he was right in my face, smirking at me as he pulled my sword from my hand. He tossed it aside and slammed me against the wall nearest the window, pinning my arms above my head.

"Sebastian!" I heard the door slam open and I saw the young form of the boy I had been looking for. His eyes widened at seeing us and I saw pink dust his cheeks.

"Sebastian, what are you doing?"

"My lord, I caught this criminal sneaking through your things." I watched Ciel walk forward and peer at me through his one eye. Why was he wearing an eye patch now? What happened? Ciel was staring at me hard, as if trying to figure out who I was.

"And who is this criminal Sebastian?"

"I am not sure, I've not had the chance to interrogate them yet." Before he decided what method of torture to use on me, I decided to speak.

"You know, letting somebody think that somebody that you love is dead, when they're not, is quite cruel." Ciel's eyes widened even more at my voice.

"Lavi?" He almost stuttered out. His eyes turned to the butler, whose name was apparently Sebastian.

"Sebastian, unhand her! Now!" Sebastian peered at me a minute more, before letting me go. He stepped back and fixed my bowtie and coat before moving to stand behind Ciel. I moved to get my sword and sheathed it before turning back to Ciel. He stared at me and I stared back. It was like this for a while until I decided to break the silence. I sighed.

"You're not even going to ask why I'm here or even why I'm dressed like a gentleman?"

"There's no need. I assumed that you were here looking for me and well, actually…" Ciel looked me over.

"Those suit you quite nicely." I bowed to him in thanks and approached him, kneeling to be able to look him in the eye. I stared into his one eye, taking a glance at the eye patch. He moved his face so that his visible eye was towards me and the eye patch was away from me. He was protecting it and I was even more curious. I stood again and looked behind him at Sebastian, whose aura had increased since Ciel came into the room. I stared at him, avoiding his eyes. I had always been interested in the occult and from studying and tampering with the supernatural, I had gained a sixth sense, of sorts. I was an expert in the supernatural and I had just found something that I didn't know. There was some bond between Ciel and Sebastian that I just couldn't place, but I was determined to find out.

I focused my sense on Sebastian and I peered into his eyes. I couldn't focus then afterwards. My mind was pulled into some sort of realm that I had yet to explore. I looked around and found myself to be floating above some mist or something like that. I was naked except for a red cloth placed strategically upon my body. It covered everything from my breasts to halfway down my thighs.

"Curiosity killed the cat, you know." I heard a laugh that sent chills through me. I assumed it was Sebastian that was speaking.

"I've been telling myself that for years and yet, after all my adventures and studies, I'm still alive." The laugh repeated, expect for longer. I was amusing someone at least.

"Tell me about the bond between you and Ciel. And what happened to his eye?"

"What shall I receive if give this information?"

"I'm not into slavery and all that bondage stuff , sorry."

"Who said I was asking for your body? There are things far more valuable than your body." The way he said that, I knew he meant my soul. I was not giving up my soul. But the next sentence scared me.

"But…having a slave sounds quite interesting." My eyes widened and I turned my head towards where I thought the voice was coming from. I had a view of sharp claws before there was suddenly a crow in the spot. The crow had red eyes.

"Lavi? Lavi!" I heard Ciel's voice calling for me and I opened my eyes. All I could see is a pair of red eyes, but they pulled back to reveal both Sebastian and Ciel's face. Sebastian was smirking behind Ciel.


	2. Chapter 2

"Are you alright?" Ciel asked, moving to let Sebastian sit on the bed beside me. He picked up the cloth that had apparently been previously on my forehead, since my forehead felt slightly cold and wet. Sebastian's eyes were watching me intently, his eyes reminding me of the crow. What were those claws that I saw before the crow appeared?

"I'm fine. I'm not sure what happened though."

"It seems you were feeling ill from your climb to the window." Sebastian explained. I finally turned my head to look at him and he bore no expression, but his eyes had a devious glint to them. I narrowed my eyes at him, he was acting odd…

"Ah, I see…" I moved slowly to sit up and Sebastian helped me with a hand on my back. I wanted to shrug it off, but he was really the only one that was holding me upright. Something was wrong. My aura was off, like some other energy had invaded my own. I looked up at Sebastian again and his eyes glowed slightly. So, had he?….

"Perhaps the lady is hungry? Have you eaten dinner?" Sebastian suggested, after trying to pull his hand away. He quickly found out that he was the only thing holding me upright.

"Lavi, you look paler than you were a minute ago. Are you sure you're alright?" Ciel came closer to the bed; he actually seemed to be worried. That's surprising.

"Yes, I was just thinking about something grave is all." I moved to the other side of the bed, my determination to get away from Sebastian for the moment fueled my body into moving. I struggled to stand, but soon accomplished it and regained my normal energy once I wasn't as close to him. It was still there though, but not as strong. I started to search my limbs for any sign of a demon mark and could find none. I sighed in relief. His energy mixing with mine was probably just because I had been in his realm; I suppose you could call it. That place where the crow resided and where I heard his voice.

"Sebastian, prepare tea and scones for us. We will be in the library." Ciel commanded him. I turned to find Ciel walking out of the room and I started to follow. I always loved the Phantomhive library; it was so beautiful and full of books of every kind. The mansion looked the same as it did before the fire and I was sure that even if I lost Ciel in the hallways, I could still find my way to the library with my eyes closed.

"Yes, my lord." The reply came from behind me and echoed down the hallway. I ignored the chill that ran threw me at his voice and continued walking towards the library. I saw a painting of a woman dressed in all red and I stopped to look at it. Madame Red….I remember her funeral. I went to it as well, dressed in her favorite color. I came in a bit late though, but there were still so many people there. I used to know her well, but then she became distant from me. I walked a few steps closer to the painting, lifting my hand to touch the frame. I was suddenly consumed with visions of a rainy night. Ciel stood against a wall in front of Madame Red and Sebastian was behind her, holding his wounded shoulder. Madame Red seemed to be weeping, but it was hard to tell because of the rain. Another man was standing some feet away, trying to get a chainsaw out of the side of a building, I stood nearest him. He finally got the saw out and he turned around to face them. He was obviously talking to them, but I couldn't hear what any of them were saying. Suddenly, he turned towards me.

"Well, aren't you a nosy one?" He laughed and started his swinging his saw in a circle around him. It started to come close to me and I could already feel its rotating blades cutting through my skin like mere fabric, the agony of it ripping apart the fragile muscles in my body. I screamed and jolted my hand away from the painting. I jumped back away from it and turned around only to scream again at Sebastian's sudden appearance and fall to the floor. I stared at my feet, catching my breath.

"So your skills go far beyond merely breaking into people's minds." Sebastian mused. I just looked up at him for a moment before sighing. I heard footsteps coming closer and I glanced over to find Ciel leading the pack of his other servants as they came towards us.

"What happened?" Ciel demanded, looking from Sebastian to me. I stood brushing myself off, turning towards Ciel and motioning to the painting.

"I was getting lost in my memories of Madame Red and I touched the frame of the painting. I saw what happened." Ciel's eye went wide and he told the other servants to return to their beds. They all did, but not before looking at me oddly. They were probably wondering when I got here. Ah, well…They'll find out in time. Ciel moved to stand in front of the painting and folded his hands behind his back. I moved beside him on one side and Sebastian moved on the other.

"You saw how she died?" He glanced over at me. I shook my head.

"I only saw the events leading up to it. Can I assume that man with the red hair did it?" Ciel nodded, looking back at the painting.

"That man saw me in the vision." That certainly got both of their attentions. Ciel stared at me in slight confusion and shock, while Sebastian just stared at me.

"What do you mean?"

"He saw me there. After he removed his saw from the building, he turned around to face you all, but then he looked over at me. He called me nosy and started to swing that saw around in a circle, which was exactly why I screamed. I thought it was going to hit me, and then Sebastian scared me by appearing so suddenly behind me." Ciel turned to look at him and I wasn't sure what he did, but Sebastian bowed and moved to my other side. I watched him warily as he got down on one knee and with a hand to his chest, bowed.

"Forgive me. I had not meant to scare you. I was merely checking on your safety." I didn't really believe that, but I accepted it anyway.

"You are forgiven." I replied curtly. I wasn't sure what he had did before, so I didn't trust him at all. He smiled, (was that really a smile?), up at me before standing again. Ciel just glared slightly at him before turning away to walk down the hallway. He stopped after a few steps and turned to look back at me.

"I think it would be wise to discuss this tomorrow. I'm tired. Sebastian, show her to a guest room."


	3. Chapter 3

"Miss..Lavi, it's time for you to awaken." I opened my eyes to glare at the man opening the curtains to let the sunlight in. Sebastian just turned around to face me and bowed. I sat up, turning my legs to hang off the side of the bed and rubbed my eyes while I focused my ears on his footsteps moving around the room. The steps suddenly stopped and I focused my eyes again, only to find Sebastian standing over me beside the bed. He was just looking down at me with that irritating smirk.

"What?" I asked him, annoyed. He just kept staring at me and then suddenly spoke.

"Kneel." I glared at him and was about to tell him to go off himself when I found that I was moving down to my knees on the floor at his command. His smirk grew wider, if possible, and I gave him a death glare, trying to fight against his will over me. He gave a sinful grin, filled with promises of dark things to come. My heart sped up at that grin and unfamiliar feelings bubbled up in my lower stomach. It seemed like some sort of sick excitement, that came from being under his power. I was appalled at the feeling and I turned my head away from him to stare at my nightstand. I heard him chuckle and his hand lifted to touch my right hand. I looked down at it and saw that a demon's mark had appeared on my hand. He ran his fingers lightly over it and I shivered. He chuckled again.

"So, you enjoy it, hm?" I turned my head back to glare at him, knowing that his enhanced senses already picked up my excitement. He just grinned at me before turning to walk to the door. He looked back over his shoulder at me.

"For now, it's best if the young master does not know of our…. agreement. You shall not tell him." I glared harder. He opened the door and stepped out, but not before poking his head back in.

"You may dress now." I was able to stand now and I moved over to slam the door after him. I leaned back against it, running my hands through my hair. This was not how I expected my visit to Ciel to turn out….

I made my way downstairs in the awful thing that Sebastian had filled my closets with, dresses. They were the reason why I always portrayed myself as a man in society. I hated dresses, because I almost always couldn't breath in them. But these dresses seemed to be custom made for me and they fit me nicely, without obstructing my breathing. I had perfected the art of tying my own laces on the back of my dress without help and this instance was no different. While dressing, from the corner of my mirror, I had noticed that Sebastian had peeked his head in to see if I needed help, but said nothing. He only smirked before bowing his head and leaving. He had also left a number of pairs of gloves for me to wear to hide my mark. The more apparent a mark is, the more power the demon has over the person. I assume that Ciel's mark was in his one eye, the one that he hides behind an eye patch.

I was met at the bottom by Ciel and Sebastian, the former who looked shock to see me in a dress. I smiled at his shocked face and he regained his composure. His eyes strayed to my gloves and he looked curiously at them.

"This is what your butler left in my closet for me this morning and I've no other clothes." Ciel nodded then started walking towards one of the hallways under the stairs. I followed with Sebastian following behind me. He was walking closer to me than was necessary. I knew it was just to mess with me. And it was working. I kept my face straight and tried to control my heartbeat. I partially succeeded. Sebastian moved past me to open a door for Ciel to enter and Ciel turned around in the doorway to talk to Sebastian.

"We will take breakfast in my study today." His head turned towards me.

"We have much to discuss Lavi." His eye focused on Sebastian again for a moment, then he went inside. Sebastian held the door open for me, but stopped me with a hand. His hand turned my face towards him and made me look into his eyes.

"_Remember, the young master is quite clever. Do not let him trick you into revealing our agreement. He is already suspicious." _His voice whispered through my head. I glared at him, but nodded. I still have no idea how he tricked me into a contract with him. He let me go through with the spoken promise of a delicious breakfast. Ciel was sat at his desk when I entered, flipping through some papers. He truly didn't look interested in them, he seemed to only be doing them because he had to. I sat down in one of the chairs in front of his desk, smoothing down my skirt as best I could. After a few minutes of silence, Ciel looked up at me, leaning back in his chair and folding his hands atop his knee.

"I'm surprised you haven't started bombarding me with questions, Lavi. Cat got your tongue?" I chuckled, Ciel knew cats were one of my favorite animals. He always liked to make fun of me for it, ever since I saved that one old cat I found wondering outside my house. The cat had been on it's own for quite a while, fur matted with dirt and dried blood from the fights he had been in. On it's own, it would have probably been a matter of hours until it died. With my help, it lived for three more days in comfort and safety. I had only cried so hard one time after, when I received the news that the Phantomhive mansion had burned down. I crossed my legs under my dress, out of habit. I was unsure of how to start, but I thought it would be best to start with the fire. Or perhaps it might be best if he were to start.

"It would depend on whether the story would flow smoother if you or I started with the questions."

"I will start." Well, Ciel has changed some. But that's to be expected when your parents die in a fire when you're really little. I nodded for him to start.

"Why did you leave?" I was expecting that to be first. I sighed.

"After my 19th birthday celebration, Mother and Father were murdered as they were coming back from the theater. Rogues, as it were. Your parents found out about it and they came to offer their condolences." I smiled in remembrance.

"The first thing they did when they came through the front door was dash over and hug me. I was grateful for that. I needed it. They stayed with me while people came to the house to offer their condolences. Mother and Father always wanted to be cremated like the rest of the family. After that was over with, I realized that everything belonged to me now. I was the head of the Marlowe family. I found out the next day that the rogues that had killed my parents were now looking for me, so that they may take my riches from me. I packed a bag and I told the housekeepers to leave and to keep the house locked until my return, but it seems Her Majesty saw fit to buy my home and land. The money was given to my account for it, but I had never agreed to sell it. It was taken from me. Even after it had been ransacked by the rogues." I closed my eyes, controlling my anger. I heard the a knock and then the door opened, signaling Sebastian had returned with breakfast and I opened my eyes. I paused to let him serve us breakfast.

"Today, we have Strawberry Crepes with a side of grapefruit. Served with our newly arrived, ahem, Gunpowder green tea from the East." Yum! It looked so delicious! Sebastian moved to stand beside Ciel's desk after he served us. Ciel took a sip from his tea, not even paying attention to him. Ciel set down his cup and nodded for me to continue if I wished. I had just swallowed my second bite of the crepe and took a sip of tea before starting again.

"Thankfully, the servants had done what I said and left. None of them were hurt and I still know where they live now. They contacted me as soon as they heard I was back and told me that once I obtained a home, they would be happy to come back. But that's not what you want to know is it?" I looked Ciel in the eye and he stared back.

"You want to know why I left the day before the fire happened. I had nothing to do with that. You know I loved you and your parents. And I know that you are on a mission now to find out who did this to them and I will gladly join you in your search. It's about time I revealed myself to society again anyway. But I'm not going to do it in dresses and pretty jewelry." I pulled my family ring off my necklace and put it on my finger. I smiled at the familiarity of the weight of the ring and felt a slight peace in my heart.

"You are the head of the family now and you don't want society to think you just a beautiful woman with a substantial amount of money. You want them to see you as strong as a man who would head the family." I looked up from my ring and nodded.

"That means you'll be needing suits and coats soon, won't you? Tomorrow we'll go shopping for them." We had finished eating by now, only sipping on our tea. Sebastian had already moved the dishes out to the kitchen and came back at Ciel's command.

"Now, it's your turn." Ciel was watching me, with a look I couldn't decipher. The loss of his parents had changed him greatly. I hadn't changed that much.

"What happened? At the fire, after the fire. All of it." Ciel let out a 'humph' and gave a grim smile. He began to tell his story, but I knew that he wouldn't tell me how he met Sebastian….


	4. Chapter 4

Ciel's story ended with his other servants bursting into the room. There was one maid to the house, a gardener and a cook, which something told me that he didn't get to cook much with Sebastian around. After them came Tanaka, who immediately came over to me. I picked him up and hugged him tightly. I've always loved Tanaka, he was not only funny, but very wise too. I set Tanaka back down and the rest bowed before starting to speak.

"Young master, I've trimmed the bushes just like Sebastian asked!" The smallest one exclaimed happily.

"And I've cleaned the library!" The maid exclaimed.

"And I planned dinner for tonight!" The cook had an odd glint in his eye, one that made me wary of whatever he had planned for dinner.

"Ho, ho." Tanaka added in. There was a 'poof!' and the real Tanaka appeared. He bowed deeply to me.

"Lady Lavia, it is a pleasure to see you again. And allow me to offer my condolences, since I was unable to give them at the time." I smiled at him and bowed to him as well.

"Thank you Tanaka. I've missed you and Ciel so much, thus why I returned to see if the rumors I heard about his return were true. And I was happy to find out that they were." Tanaka smiled at me before another cloud appeared and he returned to small Tanaka.

"Wait, you mean Lady Lavia Marlowe? The lady noble who disappeared?" The cook questioned. I stood and smiled at them.

"Yes, that's me." The young boy suddenly ran to me and hugged me around the waist. I was shocked to say the least, but I hugged him back.

"Lady Lavia, I'm so glad to see that you're alright!" Wait a moment, that voice…..

"Finnian?" He lifted his head to grin at me.

"You remember!" He hugged me tighter and I couldn't breathe.

"Finnian…Can't breathe." I gasped out. He immediately let go of me and apologized.

"You know Finnian?" I turned to smile at Ciel.

"Yes, we met a long time ago. Didn't we Finnian?" I turned to grin at Finnian, who grinned back. A ringing of the front door grabbed all our attentions.

"Hm…we aren't expecting any guests until later this afternoon." Sebastian said, before bowing and leaving the room. I narrowed my eyes after him, no one noticing but Finnian, who tilted his head, pondering. Ciel stood and started towards the door. I followed after him and we stopped at the top of the stairs to watch Sebastian talk with whomever was at the door.

"Let me in!" Was the first thing we heard. I stepped down the steps to the landing and motioned for Ciel to stay where he was. I could see a gang of men in torn clothes outside, apparently desperate enough for money and food to threaten the people in the first house they saw.

"I'm afraid not. Please vacate the premises." I saw the man reach for his jacket and I reacted. I reached up quickly to pull one of the hidden knives from my hair and threw it at the man, hitting his hand before he could finish pulling out his knife to harm Sebastian. The man screamed in pain, stumbling backwards and falling to the ground. The others looked behind Sebastian at me as I walked down the stairs, brandishing another knife. I heard Ciel chuckle from above me and I smiled. One of the men looked terrified to see me.

"I-I know you!" I came to stand beside Sebastian at the door and I raised a brow in question.

"You're that occult lady, the one involved with demons and witches!" I laughed, and I will admit, it did sound a bit like a cackle, even to me. I hadn't meant to laugh like that, but sometimes, you can't help it.

"That I am, sir. And unfortunately, you've tried to rob a house that belongs to a dear friend of mine. What do you think that earns you?" I gave them an evil glare. They all stumbled backwards or crawled backwards away from me. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Sebastian giving them a look as well. With the two of us, we were probably quite the scary pair. Probably looked like a couple demons to them, especially since Sebastian filled my closet with dark colored dresses, except for the rare blood red one, like Madame Red's. They all stood up straight and bowed quickly to us before turning around and starting to run away.

"We're sorry!"

"Please don't curse us!"

"I don't wantta be eaten by demons!" Were the few yells I could make out from them as they ran away. Once they were far enough away, I started to laugh. I was laughing hard enough that I had to lean against the doorframe to stay upright. Sebastian just watched me, smirking like usual. I recovered, wiping my eyes of the tears that had leaked out. I stepped back inside and grinned at Ciel, who was walking down the stairs.

"Looks like my reputation proceeds me. I'll just have to go along with it, I suppose. Even though I'm not actually associating with witches. Haven't met one yet, that I know of."

"That should make a fine entrance back into society." Ciel chuckled. Sebastian was still standing beside me, watching me. I turned to look at him and glared. We stood like that for a while, while Ciel and the servants looked on.

"I see you aren't fond of Sebastian." Ciel commented.

"Not particularly." I turned to start heading back up the stairs, picking up my skirts as I went.

"I think, I might have to make my appearance in society earlier than I thought. Sebastian," I stopped on the first landing to look at him.

"do you know of any balls or parties happening tonight? Even though Ciel would never go to them, unless invited, I'm sure you know a few that are happening."

"I believe the Viscount of Druitt is holding a party tonight. For what purpose, I am unsure." Sebastian turned to Ciel as he started back up the stairs.

"Prepare a carriage for us. We will both be going tonight." Ciel started up the stairs past me.

"Worried about me?" He didn't answer, but I knew I was right.

"We will be around, but not seen. I don't trust the Viscount of Druitt." Ciel told me before we arrived. Sebastian then had a suggestion.

"Perhaps I should escort her, in the case the Viscount tries anything?" Ciel pondered for a moment.

"Lavi, are you armed?" I nodded, pulling out one of my hidden knives from inside my dress sleeves. I also pulled one from my hair to show him. The ones in my hair were in the guise of intricate flowered combs that held up my hair. They, of course, matched my dress for the evening, which was the blood red dress. I had to make my appearance in the most obvious way possible and I was happy to pay tribute to Madame Red as well. I was always fond of her. Ciel smirked.

"Then I won't worry, as you thought I was, as much." The tone he used to say that, let me know that he actually was worried about me. Sebastian opened the door of the carriage and held out a hand to help me out. I took it and stepped out easily, Ciel was hiding in the shadows of the carriage.

"I'm going to play hide and seek. Sebastian will be there to escort you within a few minutes." Sebastian then closed the door and jumped up to take a hold of the reins. The carriage then dashed off into the night. I turned to look at the Viscount's home and cringed. There were so many people! At least thrice the amount more than I thought there would be.

"Losing your nerve?" Sebastian's voice appeared from beside me. I turned my head to look at him, noticing he had changed into much more aristocratic clothes. My eyes hardened.

"No, let's go." We stepped forward into the mansion.


	5. Chapter 5

Our entrance did not go unnoticed by any. All eyes were upon us as we entered and the host, the Viscount of Druitt, immediately came over to us after Sebastian had gotten us drinks.

"Good evening, beauteous maiden and good sir. Allow me to introduce myself. I am the Viscount of Druitt, honored to make your acquaintance milady." The Viscount bowed and kissed my knuckles lightly, making sure to look me in the eye. I think he might like me, lovely. Just what I need….

"I am Lady Lavia Marlowe, head of the Marlowe family. I've recently returned to our beautiful country and I thought, how best to make my reappearance than at the wonderful Viscount's party. I do hope you don't mind." I started to play the part of the perfect noble lady, if only for now. Sebastian bowed to me, then disappeared suddenly. Ciel must be in trouble.

"Lady Marlowe? Oh, my! Forgive me! I should have recognized the extravagant beauty of a Marlowe woman at once! I offer my sincere condolences to you, I'm afraid I was out of town at the time. Important business couldn't be set aside, otherwise, I assure you I would have been there for you." He suddenly took me by the arm and started to lead me around the room, introducing me to the other guests. I didn't mind it as much, that meant less introducing of myself that I had to do. I was sure that I had met everyone in the room.

"Tell me, Lady Marlowe, what do you plan to do, now that you've reemerged into society?" One of the last noble men that we talked to, Lord Gallingham, was quite curious about me, more so than any normal person would be. I think he was suspicious of me. Perhaps it was because his father had been a part of Scotland Yard? Sebastian had returned and he bent down to whisper in my ear.

"It is time for our departure. I have already escorted the young master home." I nodded and excused myself from the Viscount and the party, halfway feigning faint. I was quite tired actually. I forgot how tiring and boring those parties are, I see why Ciel doesn't go to them.

Finnian was in control of our carriage surprisingly enough. Apparently, he was good with animals. Sebastian crawled into the carriage behind me after helping me in and as the carriage began the trek back towards Phantomhive mansion, we engaged in a staring contest. Which had to be broken by me.

"How did you trick me into a contract?" He smirked at me.

"I didn't have to. You agreed to it."

"I did not. Don't try to lie to me demon." I glared at him. He only grinned.

"You did. Think back to that place. Do you remember all that happened?" He had leaned forward closer to me, while I glared at him again and thought back to that time. It was as I remembered it, I had agreed to no such….wait. I had said something, just after the claws. I don't recall telling myself to say it, my subconscious again. I had messed with the other realm so much that my mind was unstable, not in the fact that I was losing my mind. No, only that my subconscious was allowed to take control more often than average. One negative side effect from my adventures.

" '_Tell me.' That's what you said. And in return, I made you my slave. An equal trade, no?" _

"Doesn't that mean that as soon as you tell me about the bond between you and Ciel, that I'm free?" He smirked, the one filled with dark promises.

"No, we never agreed on how long you would be my slave. Remember to add specific details the next time you make a contract with a demon."

"We're almost there! You'll be able to rest soon, Lady Lavia!" Finnian yelled from above us.

"Thank you Finnian!" I yelled back to him. Sebastian sped forward and pinned me against the back wall of the carriage. I pushed myself against the wall, to get as far away from him as I could. He still had that smirk on his face. At the moment, I was angry and tired. I just wanted to get back to the mansion and to my bed. I glared at him, even harder than ever before. He seemed surprised for a moment, as he was staring into my eyes. Then he grinned and moved back to his side of the carriage. Curiosity got the best of me.

"What?" I bit at him. He just grinned wider, opening the door and suddenly stepping out of the carriage. I thought we were still moving, so I shot up to try and help him out of instinct, despite knowing what he was. I found out that we had arrived, we had stopped while I was glaring at Sebastian. He was standing outside the carriage, offering a hand to help me out of it. I had the thought of refusing his help, but then, with how tired I was and the fact that this is the first time I've worn a dress in a while, I decided not to take my chances. I reached for his hand and grasped it and he helped me out, but I didn't have my skirt pulled up high enough to be out of the way of my feet and I toppled forward. I half expected to feel the ground pound me in my face, but I didn't. Sebastian had caught me in his arms.

"Are you alright, Miss Lavi?" His tone of voice and his expression almost made me think he was concerned, almost. I straightened myself and pushed away from him. He let his arms drop and his expression was back to normal.

"I'm fine, I will be retiring for the night. Goodnight Finny!" I called out to him as he took the carriage away.

"Goodnight Miss Lavia!" Ah, so he's calling me miss now too. It's catching on, it seems. I turned away to start walking to the house, but something made me stop and turn my head to look at Sebastian again. His face was expressionless, but his eyes were trained on me. The moon was half hidden by clouds and even if I was angry at him, I couldn't deny that the moonlight only added to his appeal. I gave him a small smile.

"Goodnight Sebastian." He smirked back at me, putting his hand to his chest and bowing.

"Goodnight Miss Lavi. Pleasant dreams." I turned around again to walk into the mansion and to head to my room to collapse on my bed. I grimaced and got up again to take off my dress, which I was happy to do. I laid back down again and before I knew it, I fell asleep.

_I was in an empty ballroom, dressed in a lavish black dress, with red ribbons and bows to adorn it. I was looking around to see if there was anyone in the room, but only found darkness. The moon outside shone through the large windows, casting the room in a eerie light. I could feel someone else in the room, but I could not see them or hear them. I looked around again._

"_Who's there?" I called out and received silence. I was starting to get irritated. _

"_I can sense you, I know you're there! Who are you?" A chuckle was returned this time. It sounded familiar too. I turned around in a circle again, still not seeing any sign of anyone. I let out a loud sigh of frustration and moved over to the piano in the corner. I sat down on the bench and stared at the keys. I had nothing better to do, why not play something? I hadn't played in a long time though and I couldn't remember any of my favorite pieces to play. _

"_Well…there went that idea." I muttered to myself before I felt someone behind me. I didn't recognize their energy, so I stayed still, acting like I couldn't sense or feel them. I felt a gloved hand on my neck and I realized who it was and relaxed. It was only Sebastian. His fingers down my neck slowly, teasingly, then back up again to trace the curve of my chin. One moved over my lip and I decided to lay a small kiss upon it. I was feeling bold for some reason, maybe because that I was happy it was Sebastian and not some other random man?_

_I felt his other arm move around my waist as he leaned down to run his tongue along the edge of my ear. I gasped when he moved down to lick my neck, one of my sensitive spots. I could feel him smirk against me, while his hands moved to run up and down my sides. He bit down lightly on the curve of my neck and I moaned. He did it again a bit harder and the sound repeated again, only louder. His tongue moved out of his mouth again to trace up and down my neck, giving me delightful shivers and causing small moans. He pulled back, turning my head slightly to kiss the corner of my lips. _

"_Such a shame this has to end." He stated, actually sounding disappointed. I turned my head to look at him, confused. I was panting from his actions and I couldn't deny that they aroused me greatly. I was about to ask him what he meant when I was pulled from the dream world. _

"Miss Lavi, it's time for you to awaken." His sensuous, velvet voice woke me from my dream about him. Wait! I sat up quickly and almost bumped heads with Sebastian who had been leaning over the bed to see if I was waking up. I blushed furiously and scooted as far away from him as I could, without falling off the bed of course. He watched me curiously, but said nothing. Suddenly, his eyes widened slightly and he gave me that sinful grin. Oh no, he could smell my arousal….

"Miss Lavi, such pleasant feelings of arousal are emanating from you. What sort of dreams did you have to cause such a thing ?" I blushed harder and turned my head away from his piercing eyes. It was like they could see into my soul, which I honestly wouldn't be surprised if they could.

"Nothing that concerns you, demon." I turned my embarrassment into anger. I turned and stood from my bed, only to be pushed down upon it again. My wrists were forced above my head and held by one of his hands easily. I turned my head away from him, determined not to let him see my beet red face, only for him to shock me and bend down to lick my neck. I moaned despite myself and turned my head back to glare at him. I scrunched up my shoulders to hide my neck as best I could, while he grinned at me. This grin was darker than any other I'd seen on his face and it showed his canine teeth.

"So, my slave has a weak point after all. And it's one of my favorite places." He stared down at me, the look in his eyes matching the grin upon his lips. And what fine lips they were… I shook my head mentally, I couldn't think that about him! All he wants is my soul! He leaned down closer to me, his tongue coming out to wet his lips and I followed the movement with my eyes.

"Perhaps this is what you were dreaming of?" His grin widened even more and I shivered. It was a shiver of delight. I was enjoying his show of dominance and demonic ability. What am I, a raving masochist? I got an streak of boldness again and I picked my head up to be closer to his own. We were barely a half an inch apart now and I licked my lips quickly before leaning even closer to flick my tongue against his lips. He growled slightly in reply and moved to take my lips with his own, letting his body close the distance between us. It was odd. I had heard the stories of the women who believed in soul mates, that there was a man, or woman in some cases, that was just perfect for them. Their bodies would fit together perfectly, the creases and bumps on their bodies would be able to slide against the other's in a most pleasurable way. It was like that now, like Sebastian's human form was made to compliment my own. But that wasn't possible, he didn't know me when he had to make this form.

His lips were molded against mine, fitting perfectly. It astounded me immensely, but even as these thoughts plagued me, I couldn't help but respond back to him. His free hand wandered up to brush against my neck again and I moaned into his mouth. My neck was extremely sensitive now that he had been messing with it. He tore away from me suddenly and I found myself in my bathroom, holding my clothes for the day as he closed the door. I soon found out why he had done that when my door burst open and I heard Ciel.

"What the hell was taking you so long to wake her up?" Ciel's furious voice came as loud through the closed bathroom door, like I was in the room with him. I started to get ready. Quickly doing my hair and stripping myself out of my nightclothes after I had recovered from Sebastian's assault. Thanks to him, I was throbbing in between my legs. I ignored it as best I could and finished putting on the corset and dress before opening the door. I smoothed out my dress as I came out and Ciel turned his eye to look at me.

"Ciel, please don't blame Sebastian. I asked him for help in choosing what to wear today and then he offered to escort me to breakfast downstairs." I smiled at Ciel, who only 'hmphed' and walked out the door. I let out a sigh of relief after I knew he was long down the hallway. Sebastian turned to grin at me, noticing that I had put my hair up again today, as I had a feeling it was going to be quite warm today. I had checked to see if he had left any marks while I had been lost in pleasure and was pleased to find none. His grin disappeared and returned to his normal expression, bowing to me with his hand upon his chest. He moved to stand by the door and motioned with a sweep of an arm to breakfast.

"Shall we, my lady?"


	6. Chapter 6

The walk downstairs was filled with silence. I was trying to sort out what just transpired in my head and Sebastian was being his normal self. He was leading me down the stairs in the entrance hall when a yell from above us stopped our progress.

"Sebast-chan!" I was quickly swept into Sebastian's arms before he jumped off the stairs, just as a saw cut into the stair we were just on. We landed softly and I heard Sebastian sigh under his breath. He jumped again, just as Ciel and the three servants came out of the dining room to see what was going on.

"Sebast-chan, who is that girl that you're holding so closely?" A saw cut into the floor where we just were.

"You're cheating on me!" Jump.

"I thought that our love was eternal!" Jump.

"SEBAST-CHAN!" Sebastian jumped to stand beside Ciel and set me down. Ciel's face was that of pure anger at whoever that was destroying the house.

"Sebastian, I order you to stop that idiot reaper!" Sebastian bowed and turned his face to look up at Ciel.

"Yes, my lord." Whoever thought three simple words could sound so sexy? I shook my head slightly, putting those thoughts to the back of my mind. I felt a slight weight in my head and I quickly pushed Ciel and the rest out of the way, just as a saw came down to try and strike me. The servants ran back into the kitchen. A man…at least, I think it was a man, with red hair and clothes was pulling the chainsaw out of the floor and swung it close to me. I ducked and ran away from them to the other side of the entrance hall. The man followed me, yelling at me along the way.

"How dare you try and steal my Sebastian away from me!" I had run myself out of places to run without getting cut and the man (?) was slowly getting closer to me. A black shape fell down in front of me and after a minute, I realized it was Sebastian.

"Grell, what are you doing here?" Sebastian questioned him as Grell started to swing the chainsaw around again. Grell didn't answer, he only kept swinging. Sebastian sighed and moved a hand up to his hair to fix it, at least that's what I had thought he was going to do. He flipped his hair slightly, not enough to mess it up, but just enough to add some life to it. It stopped Grell in his tracks. He went totally fan girl about it.

"Aw, that sexy hair! It was the simplest of gestures that could bring a girl to fainting! I could only wonder how he would look if he were to unbutton his shirt (or pants) a little!" I raised a brow at Grell, wait….so he's a girl? I'm so confused.

"Grell, what are you doing here?" Ciel's angry voice came from across the hall. Grell's expression returned to normal-ish, and he turned to address Ciel.

"Will sent me here in search of a wayward soul. We had records of it just a few days ago in the ledgers, but then it just disappeared from all of our records. Will said it was just like if someone owned a slave, they owned all information about them. Or at least, that's Will's theory." Ciel's brows creased at the information.

"What does that have to do with you being here at my mansion?"

"The last place the soul was located in the ledgers was here at the Phantomhive mansion. Then, approximately two nights ago, it disappeared." I was wondering what the world was going on, wait….Hadn't Ciel said that Grell was a reaper? A shinigami? That…thing? No way!

"You're a shinigami?" I asked him in disbelief. Grell turned to me and struck a pose, what kind, I wasn't sure.

"Of course! This noble woman you see before you is one of the highest reapers around, other than Will of course." Woman?

"Don't let him fool you. He is a man, no matter how much he wants to be a woman." Ciel commented to me from across the hall. Grell scoffed at him.

"I am obviously a woman, thank you! That's why Sebastian loves me." I snorted. I couldn't help it. Sebastian, loving him? Sebastian, loving anything? I moved forward to stand beside Sebastian and stared at Grell with him. Grell started to rant about how much the two of them love each other and I could tell that Sebastian didn't agree at all. Ciel distracted him by asking him the name of the soul that disappeared.

"I'm not allowed to tell you. But if Sebastian asked, maybe I could make an exception."

"Sebastian." Was all Ciel had to say.

"Grell, who is the soul?" Sebastian asked calmly. Grell turned to him and pulled out his soul ledger, flipping through to a certain page that he had dog-eared.

"Let's see, the soul belonged to…. a Lavia Marlowe." Grell then turned to me.

"Wait, that's you." He came over to me and poked me in the forehead. Hard.

"Ow!" I slapped his hand away and rubbed the spot he had poked. Grell looked confused now.

"This doesn't make sense. Why are you still alive and your soul has disappeared from our ledgers?" A knock on the front door interrupted him from saying more. Sebastian moved to answer the door and found another reaper that I actually recognized.

"Will?" Was the question repeated by both Grell and I. Grell turned to look at me curiously.

"How do you know Will?" I shook my head, it was not something to talk about right now. Right now, I was worried about Ciel finding out about my contract with Sebastian, thus causing my soul to disappear from the soul ledgers. Will pushed up his glasses with his….long hedge clippers and stepped inside.

"Grell, why haven't you found out why her soul disappeared yet?" Will walked up to stand in front of Grell and sighed.

"I was working on it, Will!" I rolled my eyes, sureee….. Will then turned to me and stepped forward a few steps to stand close to me. He looked down at me with his normal expression, which wasn't really an expression at all. His eyes softened for a moment before he spoke.

"Hello Lavia." I gave him a small smile.

"Hi Will. It's been a while, hasn't it?" Grell stood almost between us and was looking back and forth between the two of us. He had a finger pointed at each of us.

"Wait, so you two do know each other? How? Will, what haven't you been telling me?" Grell stopped on Will and was staring hard at him. Will ignored him and chose to stare at me. I stared back. We stayed like this for a minute until Will looked away.

"Lavia, I'm sorry about-" "Will, don't you have a job to do right now? Why don't we do this later when you have some extra time on your hands?" I smiled at him slightly. I honestly just didn't feel like doing this in front of a bunch of people. Will and I had been together once. I found him when he came to collect a soul and he was surprised to see that I wasn't afraid when I discovered that he was a shinigami. He became interested in me then and I was interested in him. It had lasted a while, until we had a fight about how his work kept him from me. I was amazed he went against the rules and had relations with a human, especially me. I'm not exactly the type of person to make a guy want to break rules for. We had lasted for over a year and then he broke it off. I can't lie and say I don't still feel something for him, I do. It was almost to the point of….love.

Will nodded and pushed up his glasses. He almost looked sad for a second there. He turned to look at Grell for a moment and then turned to walk out the front door again. Grell soon followed after blowing a kiss to Sebastian, who was ignoring him to stare at me heatedly.

"_You were with the reaper?" _I nodded and turned away from him to look at Ciel. He was also staring at me, trying to figure out what I was hiding. I knew he had a theory about why my soul disappeared from the ledgers and I knew I would probably find out over breakfast.

"Sebastian, clean this up." Ciel ordered before moving back into the dining room. I started to follow, but was stopped by Sebastian, who had moved to stand in front of me. I looked up to find his eyes glowing red and I inwardly slightly cringed in fear. That was not a good sign.

"_You will tell me about this, later." _I raised a brow at his command. I didn't have to do it, he didn't order me.

"_I order you to tell me later."_ Dammit! Almost got out of it! I grimaced, but nodded. I entered the dining room and sat down near Ciel at the head of the table. He had already dug into the assortment of foods Sebastian had prepared for us and was taking a sip of his tea as I sat down.

"So, how do you know that reaper, William?" Was the first question out of Ciel's mouth. I took a bite of the slice of orange I had put on my plate and finished chewing before answering.

"We were together once. It lasted for a while, until his work split us apart." I took a bite of French toast and waited for Ciel's next question.

"Did you love him?" That was not what I was expecting to be the next question. I lifted my cup of tea to my lips, then took it away slightly.

"….Almost. It was close." I drank some of my tea. Ciel did the same, before asking another.

"Why did your soul disappear from the ledgers? Don't lie to me. I know that you know why." Sebastian chose then to enter the room and I glanced over at him. He smirked and I could tell that he wanted me to tell Ciel of our contract.

"Because I made a contract with a demon."


	7. Chapter 7

"A demon? Who? And what was the contract?" Sebastian moved forward and poured us some more tea. He stepped back just as the truth hit Ciel.

"It's Sebastian, isn't it?" I nodded. Ciel stared at me for a moment, before turning to glare at Sebastian.

"What was the contract?"

"I wanted to know why you made a contract with Sebastian and so I made a contract with him to find out." Ciel turned back to look at me and glared hard at me.

"So, you offered up your soul just so you could find out why I made a contract with Sebastian?" Ciel yelled, standing and slamming his hands down on the table. I shook my head.

"I didn't offer up my soul, I have too much left in this world to do that. I made a joke when I was talking to him and he took me seriously. So…I'm his slave." My voice faded out as I continued talking, but it was still loud enough that Ciel could hear. He fell back into his chair, his eye wide.

"You're his slave?" I nodded slowly. Sebastian was grinning beside us and his expression returned to normal when Ciel turned to look at him.

"You bastard." Was all that Ciel said to him. Ciel turned back towards the table to stare at his cup. His hands interlaced and he looked deep in thought.

"I assume that you didn't give a specific amount of time when making the contract did you?" I shook my head. He sighed.

"Then that means even if I ordered Sebastian to tell you what our contract was, you would still be his slave." I nodded.

"I already tried that. That was exactly what he said as well." Ciel's expression grew grimmer. He sighed and shook his head at me.

"I suppose 'curiosity bound the cat' should be the expression used here." Ciel almost smiled at his own joke. I grinned at him and he stood up. It was time for business then apparently.

"Sebastian, I want fresh tea taken to my study." Sebastian bowed and Ciel left. I expected that he would be working on the paper work for Phantomhive company, while thinking over the new information he received. Sebastian started to clean up the table while I stood and started to head towards the door to the entrance hall. I felt Sebastian's eyes on me and I ignored it to continue out the door. I headed towards the library to spend my time until I decided to contact the Queen about my return.

I had been in the library for a few hours when Sebastian entered with tea and lunch. He set the tray down on the table in front of me and stood up straight, watching me. He moved over to another chair across the table and sat down. I put my bookmark in my book and set it aside. I knew that Sebastian would be questioning me about my former relationship with Will.

"So, it's that time already?" I asked him, taking a sip of tea. He merely stared at me, a peculiar expression on his face. I couldn't tell what it was a mixture of, but it was not something that I had seen on his face before. I took a spoonful of the soup Sebastian had brought me and smiled at the taste. It was delicious!

"I met Will for the first time in Grimsby, a moderately sized seaport on the Northern coast of Britain. I had traveled there because I had heard rumors of "sea monsters" appearing there and it had peaked my interest. He had come to collect a soul of an younger fisherman who had murdered young women as revenge for God taking his wife." I paused for a moment, thinking about how to explain this next part.

"When I first saw Will, I couldn't take me eyes off of him. He was surprised that I had been watching him do his job, he hadn't even sensed me. I figured out easily that he was a shinigami and I wasn't afraid of him for it. It was just his job. He told me that most people were afraid when they knew what he was and that it was curious that I wasn't. He introduced himself first with a slight bow and I told him my name with the slightest curtsy." Sebastian was staring at me still, but with a different expression.

"We hit it off from there really. Whenever he had time, he came to see me and we went to plays and dinner and anything else we both knew we would enjoy. It lasted for more than a year. Then one day, he hadn't been able to come see me for a long time and I was upset at that. When he finally did come a few days after that, I accused him of taking on more jobs to avoid me. Not my brightest idea. But Will took what I said calmly, then explained that headquarters had put an underling with him and it was taking up almost all of his time, thus leaving very little time for me. It escalated from there though, since a few of his superiors showed up to see who Will was visiting. He basically got in trouble because of me." I sighed, letting my head fall towards the ground. I let a grim smile take over my face.

"After they left, he explained to me that him not visiting for so long was so that he could allow them to come and see how I was. It was basically a trick and duty to him, not just because he wanted to see me again. That was what hurt the most when I realized it. He had never said that it was because he wanted to see me again, no. Instead, he said it was a part of his duties. I hated him for that. I hate liars. I hate lying. I couldn't handle it. I walked away from him." Sebastian's expression never changed, but I could see a glint in his eye.

"The next time we saw each other, he said it would be better if we weren't together anymore and walked away. Since then, today was the first time we saw each other again." I ended my story by picking up the soup again and starting to eat it. It had definitely cooled off some at this point, enough that I could take more than one bite every five minutes.

"It is a good thing that I'm not human then." Sebastian's comment made me look up from my soup, only to find him walking towards the door. The spoon had just been raised to my mouth.

"Huh?" I got out after I swallowed my spoonful of soup. He stopped at the door and looked back at me over his shoulder, smirking.

"That is how I differ from humans, I don't lie." With that comment, he left. I was left in shock to say the least. He doesn't lie? I smiled, well…that certainly raised his points in my book. I finished my soup and stood to return the dish to the kitchen, where Sebastian had already started to gather the ingredients for dinner. He was wearing an apron and still looked quite handsome in it. I shook my head furiously, I'm more than positive my cheeks were red too. Damn him for getting me so hot and bothered earlier! Those sort of thoughts had been entering my head all day! When I came back to reality, Sebastian was watching me, smirking like usual. I glared at him and moved to give him my bowl and spoon. He took them without a word and turned to put them in the sink. I almost thought I would escape the kitchen without him talking to me, but he stopped me with a statement

"I order you not to ever lie to me." I flinched and blanched. I was not happy with this order at all. That meant if he asked me really personal questions, I had to answer them. Unless I just avoided them. That's not lying. I smirked to myself and continued walking out of the kitchen. I decided it was now or never on telling the Queen of my return. I was not looking forward to that, merely for the fact that I would mean that I had to resume my family's position as one of the Queen's loyal pet nobles, like Ciel. The head of the Marolwe family was always known as Her Majesty's pet panther, because of the way we solved the cases or problems Her Majesty gave us and we all have a penchant for violence. Our family was the oddest nobles in the bunch.

I walked up to Ciel's study and knocked lightly. I didn't receive a reply, but I decided to enter anyway. The sight that greeted me made me wish I had a camera. Ciel had fallen asleep in his chair, his head leaning to the side resting upon his shoulder. He must still be very tired from the Viscount's party the other night. I wonder what exactly he had been up to, even though I'm glad the Viscount is locked away for a while at least. I moved forward to brush his hair back from his good eye, smiling softly. His body started to twitch and his face scrunched up in pain. He was having a nightmare.

I had the urge to try and calm him, but honestly, I had no idea how go about doing that. I opted for the first thing that popped into my head. I bent down to sit on my knees on the floor and pulled his head to me, whispering softly in his ear. It worked slightly, he stopped twitching, but his face was still scrunched up in pain. Then I remembered a lullaby that we both knew when we were younger. We were both fond of it, even though it was quite dreary and morbid sounding.

"_Someday, I want to run away to the world of midnight._

_Where the darkness fills the air, where it's icy cold._

_Where nobody has a name, where living is not a game._

_There, I'll hide my broken heart. Dying to survive._

_There, no one can see me cry. The tears of my lonely soul._

_I'll find peace of mind. _

_In the dark and cold world of midnight." _I looked down after I was finished to find that Ciel had relaxed considerably and had even moved his body to lean against me. I was a horrible singer, but Ciel had told me he liked the way I sang that lullaby, even though I butchered everything else I tried to sing. Ciel's father always joked that I should try opera. I refused and I never sang unless I had too.

"Is that the Young Master?" I heard another female voice ask. I turned to find Mey-rin, I believe her name was, watching us through her glasses. I nodded and made a 'shhing' motion with my hand. She nodded, smiling. I smiled back at her and she moved forward to place an envelope on Ciel's desk.

"This was left at the front door for you, along with these." She pulled out a bouquet of black and red roses behind her back and set them down as well. My eyes widened, who could have left that? I thanked her and she left. I was barely able to reach the envelope without jostling Ciel, who now had his hand curled in the skirts of my dress. I grinned down at him, he was so adorable! But just don't tell him I said that. I could only imagine the punishment if he heard me call him that…..

The envelope had a blood red seal upon the back of it, it looked very familiar. None the less, I used the nearby letter opener to open it cleanly. I was shocked to say the least when I pulled out the letter and read the beautiful script written upon it.

_My lady Marlowe, _

_congratulations upon your return to London. I look forward to finally meeting Her Majesty's pet panther. I will be keeping watch of you and your…friend who's head is currently residing upon your breast. _

_The Spider._


	8. NOTICE

I'm sorry about the lack of updates. I've lost everything that I've written for all of my stories and school work. All of my stories are being put on a hiatus until further notice. I hope to continue them soon, but I'm not sure when I'll be back on my feet to be able to do that.

I'm so sorry about this. Thank you all for favoriting and liking my stories! I'm glad that my little stories bring happiness to people, at least a little bit. 


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